5 Ways To Use Water Responsibly During A Drought

It’s time we do something

Unless you live in a cave, you would know that we are currently going through a drought. In other words, we are fucked. But, we are blessed with something called a brain that is useful. We can help the planet by using less water. If we don’t take immediate action we will end up in serious trouble.

Unfortunately, we don’t know how lucky some of us are. We have access to clean water on a daily basis and we take that for granted. I personally was irresponsible when using water, especially during showers. I can stand under the water for a prolonged period of time debating my life choices instead of actually washing myself. It took me a while to realize that I’m wasting something precious that some people are dying to get.

Last week, rumors spread in my country that since the drought has gotten more serious, they might raise the water bill for everyone. It was also rumored that the government might start cutting off water for everyone every night but this was neither denied nor confirmed. Honestly, I believe that this would be a great solution. But, it’s not permanent.

I jokingly suggested on TikTok that I invite every woman to join me in the shower to save on water and although it’s a great idea, I don’t think there is a shower big enough to contain us all.

On a serious note, I thought of a couple of ways we can save on water and change the fate of our planet.

1- Use a bucket when showering

I just tried this last week and I have been doing it since then. I usually use the shower head and I end up wasting a LOT of water.

I filled a bucket and used it to shower. I didn’t rinse the shampoo right away. Instead, I applied soap, washed my face, shaved what I had to shave, then rinsed everything all at once. And tada! I was done in half the time and I had water left in the bucket to clean the shower.

2- Use a large plastic bowl when doing the dishes

By placing a large plastic bowl in the sink before doing the dishes, you get to use that water to rinse the dishes and you can use it to water your plants when you are done. You can also put the remaining water in the toilet reservoir or even pour it directly into the toilet.

If the water is clean-ish, you can use it to clean the floor of the house. There are a lot of ways you can use that water, trust me.

3- Put drinkable water in a bottle

The mistake most of us do is that when we want to drink water from the tap, we fill a cup to the brim and we drink half of it. Then, we proceed to empty the remaining half in the freaking sink. Why the hell do we do this?

If you fill a water bottle and put it on the counter, you’ll get to control how much water you use and you won’t waste a drop. It also helps you track how much water you drink daily.

4- Only flush the toilet when you go number 2

Did you know that you waste around 6 liters with each flush? I didn’t know that either until now!

If you live alone, it’s not necessary to flush the toilet after you pee. You can wait until you go number 2 to flush everything at once. This way, you’ll cut down on the use of toilet water.

5- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving

By now, everyone should turn off the water when brushing their teeth, doing their skincare routine, or shaving.

Place a cup on the bathroom counter to use when you brush your teeth. Don’t leave the water running when you are shaving your beard or washing your face. And, if you leave shaving to the end of your shower, you can use the remaining water in the bucket to rinse off your razor, assuming you had any water left.

This may sound dumb to some of you but it is really effective if all of us cut down on our water usage. We can’t just sit idle and watch other people die because they don’t have a sip of water.

This is our chance to unite as a species and help each other. At the rate we are going by, the earth will be out of drinkable water by the year 2040. So let’s get off our asses and do something.

Until next time, be the change you want to see in the world.